Two Birds on a Wire
by CrimsonPearlAlice
Summary: This is my own little added scene in Birthmark. Hints of Rob/Rae. Song fic to the song Two Birds on a Wire by Regina Spektor. I do not own the song or Teen Titans. Rated T just to be safe.


Night had fallen in Jump city, and the clouds had came quickly rolling in since sunset. It was calm and quiet, so quiet in fact, that the only sound you could hear was the breathing of the three who were still alive. Two birds and one man.

Raven didn't know why she chose to bring Robin back, why not Cyborg? Or Beast Boy? Why Robin? She didn't have the answer to that question. But now, she was glad that she had brought back someone, someone who she had faith would save her. She wasn't one who was very fond of needing saving, but there were exceptions to everything. This was one of those exceptions.

She found feel Slade's cold armored hands gripping her shoulders, and even his grip couldn't stop her shaking. But she wasn't shaking because of him, no, she was trembling because of the red marks that ran up her arms and legs, the marks of Scath from her father. That was the reason why she was trembling. A part of her would rather fall from the building, so that way, here future wouldn't come true, the world wouldn't end by her hand, and Trigon wouldn't take over. She couldn't bear to watch her friends die, maybe death would be a welcomed escape. If she died before she opened the portal would Trigon be able to come back? She doubted it. Raven never feared death, in fact, she saw dying to save her friends as honorable. She had no death wish, she wanted to continue her life, but not if she would bring the destruction Slade had just shown her.

The second the thought passed her mind she could see black spots prancing across her vision, she was losing consciousness, slipping away. If she left Robin and Slade as the only two who were awake what would happen to them? Would Robin be killed? Probably...

She couldn't complete her thought because the next second she was gone, her mind was locked inside herself, she was trying to see what would happen, what wouldn't happen, everything. She was focusing so much on trying to prevent the future from happening that she slipped from her conscious state.

Mere moments after Slade let her limp body fall from the building Robin swung in and caught her. If it had been under normal circumstances, when the world wasn't frozen in time, he would have been bewildered by her long hair and torn robe, but he was too blinded by rage at Slade that he didn't care. _What did he do to her? _Robin thought desperately, secretly, he knew Raven was the strongest Titan, and whatever Slade had just shown her had made her instantly helpless. The second he had heard her scream tear form her throat he had thought the worst, he felt as if he was in the free fall that Raven had been thrown into, he felt as if he had been the one dying. He wanted to say that he was curious about what Raven had seen, but if something could make her- Raven- the half demon- that petrified, he might not be so curious after all. Of one thing he was certain, he would never let anything take Raven away from him- from the titans- without a fight. If something was threatening her, it was threatening him too.

"Robin..." Robin glanced down at the small girl in his arms.

"Raven, are you alright?" She put her hand to her head. Her face was contorted in confusion and pain. Robin furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "Can you get up?" Raven stumbled to her feet and Robin could see her legs violently shaking as they tried to support her weight. "I don't mean to rush you, but come on we have to hurry, if Slade comes back-"

"Robin," Rave grasped onto Robin's arm, her grip was weak, but her words were urgent. "Promise me, whatever you do, don't work with Slade to save me..." Raven's voice wavered, as if she wanted to say something more, but then her face contorted into confusion like she lost her train of thought.

"Raven, why would I work with Slade? And to save you from what? Raven you have to tell me what's going on..." Robin could see Raven sway back and forth and he put his arm around her shoulders to steady her. Once he thought she was secure he sent a small smile in her direction and she looked at him, her mouth slightly open and her eyes unfocused, as if she was focusing on something off in the distance. Hesitantly he intertwined his fingers with hers, half expecting her to rip herself away from him, but she didn't.

After a few seconds Raven seemed to be back in the present again and her mouth curved into a half smile. Robin gently let go of her hand and let his hand fall limply back at his side. "No, don't let go, please..." Robin looked at her in confusion, he suddenly realized with a painful jolt that Raven was much more fragile than everyone thought her to be. It was as if he had been crushed by a giant wave of ice water, Raven always looked delicate and fragile, and Robin always thought she was everything but. Raven wasn't the one that wore the mask, Robin was, but she did a much better job at keeping up the facade, possibly even better than Robin's old mentor. However, now, when he hesitantly glanced at her, half afraid of what he would see, he knew that she was much more breakable than any of the titans had originally thought. She needed someone with her, to hold her to solid ground, to keep her sane and unharmed from whatever evil it was that was chasing her.

"Can we go home, Robin...?" Those were the last words, no whispers, that escaped Raven's mouth before she swayed once more and passed out. Robin managed to catch her before she could hit the concrete.

He carefully picked her up and pushed her hair out of her porcelain face. He also took great care not to let go of her hand. "Yeah... I promise you Raven." Robin was many things, and a liar normally wasn't one of them, but there were exceptions to everything. This would be one of those exceptions. He would keep her safe, even if it meant working with Slade, which Raven for some reason thought he would have to. Maybe he would, but Robin preferred not to know.


End file.
